Vertical smelting furnace



F. FIECHTL. VERTICAL SMELTING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.28. I92I.

1,422,684, Patented July 11, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A I NVENTo R. O/WLW BY MMM ATTORNEYS.

F. FIECHTL.

VERTICAL SMELTING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED .IANZIL 1921.

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FERDINAND FIECI-ITL, 0F CHERRYVALE, KANSAS.

vERTrcAL sMnLriNe FURNAGE.

To all i12/omit may concern.'

Be it known. that I, FERDINAND FIECHTL, a citizen of the United States, residing a1; Cherryvale, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Vertical Sinelting Furnace, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a vertical smelting furnace.

One object of the invention is to provide a furnace of the character described which is particularly adapted to the reduction of zinc.

Another object of the invention resides in the novel arrangement and connection 0f the vapor condensers to the retorts in such. a manner as to insure a perfect seal and to prevent the escape of vapors to the furnace chamber'.

A further object resides in the provision of a cooling chamber in the bottom of each retort and a removable base by means of which the bottom of the retort may be readily opened or closed, thus providing a convenient method of discharging the ashes from the retorts.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a novelly constructed charging car, by means of which two rows of retorts may be charged simultaneously.

A still further feature resides in the provision of novelly constructed receiving hoppers so disposed as to receive the accumulated residue from the retorts until such time as the dump car is brought into position to receive the contents from said hoppers.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to eertain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings., wherein Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of the furnace taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the furnace partially broken away.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the charging car.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the cooling chamber, taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical sec- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 28, 1921.

Patented July 11, 1922.

serial No. 440,761.

tional view of the receiving hopper, showing the removable bottom of the retort and the mechanism for actuating the same.

V`Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the furnace which is preferably constructed of tile and the numeral 2 designates the supporting framework thereof. Below the furnace there is the cellar 3, which is enclosed by suitable walls 4, preferably of concrete, said walls serving also as a support for the framework 2. Within the furnace there are the vertically arranged retorts 5, which are arranged in adjacent `rows for the purpose of facilitating the charging of the same. Near their upper ends the retorts are formed with outwardly turned annular flanges 6 which fit closely around the inner ends of the condensers 7, said condensers extending out through the side walls of the furnace. Mounted above the furnace are the longitudinal rails 8, along which the charging car 9 travels and this car is so formed that both rows of retorts may be simultaneously charged therefrom. The lower end of each retort is anchored in an annular cooling chamber 10, through which cold water circulates, the water entering through the inlet pipe 11 and passing out through the outlet pipe 12, the inlet and outlet being separated by a vertical partition 13. Provision is thus made to gradually cool the residue or spent charge, which accumulates in the lower part of the retort. The lower end of each retort is closed by a coneshaped bottom 14 which is fixed to the upper end of the rod 15. Each rod works through a vertical bearing 16 in which it is keyed. The bearings 16 are anchored in the inner walls of the receiving hopper 17, said hoppers being aligned below the respective reterts and being formed of tile walls. The lower end of each rodl is threaded through a nut 18 which is confined within an enclosed bearing 19 and the nut 18 is formed with a beveled gear wheel 20,which is in mesh with a pinion 21 which is fixed on the inner end of the shaft 22. The outer end of this shaft is geared to the vertical rod 23 whose upperend has the hand wheel 24 fixed thereon. By a suitable manipulation of the hand wheel 24 the nut 18 may be rotated and the rod 15 thereby elevated or lowered so as to close or open the lower end of the corresponding retort as desired. While a charge is being reduced, said lower end will be closed but when it is desired to remove the residue from the retort the bottom 14 may be lowered through the mechanism described and the residue will be discharged through the receiving hoppers 17, said residue having been previously cooled in the cooling chamber 10.

Each retort is provided with a cover 25. These covers are removed when it is desired to charge the retorts. IThe charging car 9 is separated by the partition 26 into two compartments, each being provided with discharge spouts as 27, 27 and 28, 28. These respective spouts are controlled by the gates 29 and 30. One of the compartments of the char 'ng car contains ashes or low grade ore an in filling the retorts low ade ore or ashes are first admitted so as to ll the retort up to the level of the top of the cooling chamber therewith and the remainder of the retort is filled with high grade ore. The lower part of each retort is filled with ashes or low grade ore for the reason that it is at all times comparatively cool md the temperature thereof is never sufficiently high to melt the ore.

Surrounding the upper part of the furnace there is a low pressure tank 31 from which additional air, if necessary, may be admitted into the furnace through the piping 32 and 33.

Access may be gained to the interior of the furnace opposite each retort by means of the removable tile doors 34.

l/Vhen a retort is filled the cover 25 is then fastened onto the top thereof and the temperature of the furnace then raised to the required degree. The zinc passes from the ore in vapor form and condenses in the condensers 7 and may be removed therefrom by any suitable apparatus designed for the purpose. When the ore is completely smelted the residue is Withdrawn into the receiving hoppers 17, as hcreinbefore explained and is discharged therefrom through the doors 35 into a suitable dump car 36, which travels along the track 37 underneath.

What I claim is In a smelting furnace, vertical retorts, removable covers therefor, movable bottoms for the retorts, a manual mechanism opera` tively connected to each bottom through the manipulation of which it may be opened or closed, and means for introducing air under compression into the furnace around the retorts.

In' testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FERDINAND FIECHTL.

Witnesses:

J. H. LAWER, L. K. LAWER. 

